Meeru Island Resort & Spa

Well....what can I say? I have honestly never ever been on a holiday where I can rate everything 10/10 - the location, accommodation, food, activities and the people but Meeru achieves top marks in all of these categories. Make a cuppa and settle down for this long review! Location 10/10 The Island is simply stunning! We chose Meeru for a bit of a 'wellness' kind of holiday. Since stopping drinking last year we wanted a holiday with full days of activity, exercise and good food. We regularly ran laps of the Island early in the morning as the sun was rising - three laps are exactly 10km and you see amazing wildlife at that time in the morning. Around every corner is another breathtaking photo opportunity and running around the Island allowed us to quickly figure out where everything was. Diving into the ocean after a 10k run is something else! The beaches are the best I have ever set foot on - pristine with very little seaweed and no trace of litter or micro-plastics. Accommodation 10/10 Our Jacuzzi Water Villa was unbelievable and made my partner cry when we walked in. The huge room opens up onto the balcony with bifold doors to the most stunning views of the Indian Ocean, a picturesque sand bar, the reef and the lagoon (where we would spend many many hours!) The Jacuzzi was brilliant for resting those tired legs at the end of the day and the steps directly into the Ocean meant that as soon as we saw a turtle, shark or ray approaching - we could go and say hello in person! Every morning, we had a coffee on the balcony 'watching the traffic' as endless aquatic animals streamed by like cars on the M1! The evenings were good too as that when most sharks cam out to feed - not on humans tho! Many many hours were spent snorkelling around the water villa following sharks and giant stingray and more huge tropical fish than I can mention! I had a particularly interesting experience with two Titan Triggerfish who became a bit over-protective of their nesting grounds! In the room the shower was brilliant, the bed really comfy and plenty of water and coffee topped up every day (important when you've stopped drinking alcohol!). Food/Dining/Chefs 10/10 The quality and variety of food was out of this world. We opted for Full Board due to not needing an AI drinks package and the savings we made paid for all our scuba diving and snorkelling trips and a full body sports massage. Full board included three meals which was probably too much for us and a Half Board (2 meal) option would have been better had it existed. It's hard to control yourself when the food is so amazing and as a carnivore the meat and fish options were brilliant. Going back three or four times meant that we weren't as hungry at the next meal! We typically ate very healthily (but did have the odd treat or two!). My favourite meal was always breakfast. On our first day, I met Dilhara who I quickly named "The Egg Man" (and shared the Beatles tune with him). Every morning he poached me five eggs to perfection! Perfect combined with real thick cut pork bacon and HP sauce! I enjoyed having a catch up with Dilhara at every meal and also Udaya, Subash and Ali who were the friendliest and most skilful chefs you could meet. Naim, our waiter was also a good guy and loved talking to us about the staff football rivalries on the Island. All these guys were a huge part of our holiday and are a real asset to Meeru. Incredibly, after 30 huge meals in 10 days, we actually lost weight when we returned - that's a first! Scuba Diving 10/10 Before we arrived at Meeru, I had hoped to do a Scuba Dive or two having qualified PADI Open Water last year. After a free welcome dive, I signed up for another dive and never looked back. During the week I did seven dives in total and also completed another PADI course - Nitrox. The Euro Divers team were absolutely brilliant. Since meeting my Austrian friends; Philip and Alina on the first day, we couldn't have been made to feel more welcome or comfortable. I did three dives with Philip and a night snorkel with Alina. The professionalism and safety was spot on which was important to us being relatively new to diving (and having had a bad experience in Thailand last year). A special mention to Sajith who took us on three of our dives. Sajith was extremely friendly and professional and informative as we swam with Giant Manta Rays, Sharks, Turtles, Moray Eels, Octopus and many many more wonderful creatures. I fully recommend Euro Divers and hope to return again soon. Other Activities 10/10 As a keen golfer I wanted to spend time on the driving range and pitch and put and went for a look when we arrived. Such was the draw of the Ocean, I unfortunately never made it back but will do next time! The same applies to the gym! We had a wonderful sports massage at Duniye Spa which helped ease some aches and pains in a pleasure:pain kind of way! Unfortunately the staff vs guests football match had to be cancelled due to a storm and we didn't get chance to play tennis due to all the diving! We didn't venture out to the Evening entertainment every night but did go to the Maldivian Night and an Ocean Discovery Night, plus a few games of pool. Our early starts meant that we retired to our Jacuzzi and room for 9ish most nights - rock & roll! Final comments The resort is managed with incredible efficiency from the moment you get onto the speedboat at Male airport to the moment you board again on your return. Everything is thought of before you even get chance to taking away the chance of any kind of stress. Male airport is also highly efficient and even has large LCD tv screens so that I could watch the England Test Match whilst waiting for our plane! There is absolutely no need to take any shoes with you. On the first day I laughed as I saw everyone walking around bare-footed as I had my comfy trainers on. Going 'native' the day after, I never looked back and apart from the morning runs and constant wearing of fins didn't wear another pair of footwear The 'water bowls' outside your front door are brilliant to wash your sandy feet in so that you don't trail sand into your luxurious villa! We had a walk into the middle of the Island where we were amazed to find allotments and greenhouses growing salad, vegetables, fruits etc that were served up fresh in the restaurants. They also grow lemongrass - my favourite fragrance which is also in all of the high quality toiletries you are provided in your room. I took with me so much stuff that I didn't need. The shoes as mentioned, four books to read (didn't manage a single bag!) playing cards that remained unboxed, toiletries etc. Travel light - there is a world of activity and beauty at your fingertips that there aren't enough hours in the day to fully explore! After all this typing I now need another holiday. Hope you read it to the end! Check out the 50 photos I have attached to whet your appetite. I am now working through some amazing GoPro footage to ensure that I never ever forget such a fabulous holiday (I'll load them to YouTube) but I fully expect to be back at Meeru very soon! Lots of Love Craig & Vicky

Meal were so spicy like İndian, but generally good, Breakfast was not my style. Restaurant stuff were very friendly. I can recomend the you to my friends. I hope to revisit Meeru in future. Thank you for every thing helping for every subject and very good organisation